Answering and recording telephone.



O. J. GUSTAFSON.

ANSWERING AND RECORDING TELEPHONE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1913. 1,079,760. Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

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APPLICATION FILED MAILZZ 1913. I 1,079,760.

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Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

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r I l/YVE/YTO/Z NIT/YIJJEJ v24 .7, azure/v0 7 6 6 2 LL w CARL J'.GUSTAFSON, OF ABERDEEN, SOUTH EAKOTA.

ANSWERING AND RECORDING TELEPHONE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Application filed March 22, 1913. Serial No. 756,173.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known'that I, CARL J. GUSTAFSON, a citizen of the United States,resident of Aberdeen, Brown county, South Dakota, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Answering and Recording Telephones, ofwhich the following is a L specification.

My invention relates to that class of instruments for use in aresidenceor oflice wherein provision is made for. repeating a certainpredetermined message in answer to a call on the line and also recordingany message which the person on the line may choose to dictate.

The object of my invention is to. simplify and improve answering andrecording telephones of this type and provide a machine which will bepositive in its action, will accurately repeat a certain message to theperson. calling, and record several messages which from time to time maybe dictated frpm the line when the user of the instrument is absent.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detaileddescription.

My invention consists generally in various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, Figure 1is a diagrammatic view, illustrating the various circuits embodied in myapparatus, Fig. 2 is a plain view of thetransmitting and recordingdevices, Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same, taken on theline y-y of Fig. 2, Fig. 4: is afront view illustrating the transmitteroperating mechanism and the screw for returning thetransmitter to itsnormal position, Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line :v-w of Fig. 4,Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the mechanism in operationfor returning the transmitter to its normal position, Fig. 7 is aperspective view illustrating the mechanism for releasing the motor to oerate the transmitting and recording mec anism.

In the drawing, referring to Fig. 1, 2 represents a suitable casing, 1nwhich the apparatus is mounted. This apparatuscorresponds substantiallyto that used in an ordinary phonograph, with various additions andmodifications to adapt it for the purposes of my invention. A plate 3-ismounted in this casing and provided with depending brackets 4 supportinga frame 5 wherein the operating spring is arranged. A shaft 6 is gearedto this spring and is adapted. to receive a winding crank. The shaft ofthe drum is connected by suitable gearing 7 with a pulley 8 and agovernor 9, all substantially as found in an ordinary phono-- graphicmachine. The pulley 8 is connected by a driven belt 9 with a pulley 10on a screw shaft 11 that is mounted in a frame 12 above the plate 3 andcarries at one end a recording cylinder 13 which is adapted to recordthe message from the person on the line. This shaft 11 is connectedthrough suitable gearing 14 with screw shafts 15 and 16, the framecarrying a recording cylinder 17 hearing the message which it is desiredto repeat to the person on the line. A guide rod 18 is mounted on theframe 12 and provided with a carriage 19 adapted to support one end of atransmitter 20, the lower end of which is supported by a guide 21. Anarm 22 is mounted on the carriage '19 and adapted to bear on the screwshaft 15 and be fed thereby with the carriage 19 and the transmitterlengthwise of the cylinder 17 the transmitter reproducing the message onthe cylinder to the person on the line, as will hereinafter appear.

At the lower end of the arm 22 is a yoke 23 pivoted at 24: on saidarmand having a lower end that is adapted to engage the screw 16 which ismounted to revolve in the opposite direction from the screw 15. The yoke23'has a pin 25 adapted to slide in a slot 26 in the lower portion ofthe arm and limited in its movement by the length of said slot, and aweight 27 is carried by. said yoke and is adapted to swing the yoke intoengagement with the threads ofv the screw 16 when the arm 22 is raisedsufficiently to allow the yoketo clear the top of the screw. (See Figs.5. and 6.) This lifting of the arm is. accomplished by means of a pin 28carried by a bracket 29 at the end of the screw 15, the engagement ofthe pin with the arm operating to liftthe said arm out of enagain whenanother call comes in. The mesrod 30 having a carriage 31 providedwithan arm 32 which engages the threads. of the screw 11. A receiver 33is connected with said carriage and is arranged to move over thecylinder 13 and record the message thereon that comes in over the line.This carriage 31 will be set in motion simultaneously with the carriage19, and the receiver 33 will be in operation to receive and record themessage on the cylinder 13 as soon as the person on the line begins tomake a response to the message received from the cylinder 17.

'The operation of the motor is controlled by a brake device illustratedin detail in Fig. 7, consisting of a disk 34, a strap 35 connectedthrough a crank device 36 with an arm 37 on arock shaft 38. A spring 39is mounted on said rock shaft and normally tends to hold said shaft andthe'mechanism controlling the strap 35 in their locking position. A pairof electro-magnets 40 is provided near the shaft 38 and an armature 41is mounted on a rack bar 42 having its teeth in engagement with a pinion43 on the shaft 38. When the electric circuit is closed through themagnets 40, the armature 41 will be attracted to move the bar 42lengthwise and rock the shaft 38 a limited distance. The bar 42 has aguide 44' and a notch 45 adapted .to receive a rod 46 which isvertically slidable in. a guide 47 and is normally held in its raisedposition by a spring 48. This rod upon entering the notch 45 looks therack bar 42 temporarily and prevents the release and return of the shaft38 to its normal position until the mechanism has traveled apredetermined distance. This tripping of the rod 46 I prefer toaccomplish by means of a lug 49 mounted on the periphery of the drum 5in position to engage an arm 50 pivoted at one end and engaging at itsother end the lower end ofthe rod 46. This lug may, of course, be placedin any'suitable position on the drum to properly time the operation ofthe rod 46 and the release of the rock shaft. The recordin cylinder ispreferably of suitable length to adapt it for recording several messageswhich may be dictated to the machine in the absence of the operator, thelength of each message depending upon the position of the trippingmechanism with respect to the rod 46. Obviously in the constructionshown, the longer the travel of the actuating lug 49 before it trips therod 46,. the greater the time of operation of the machine and the lengthof the message whichmay be recorded on the recording cylinder. An arm 51is mounted on the shaft 38 in position to normally engage a switch Wwhich, when the shaft is released, will close an electric circuit, aswill hereinafter appear.

The operation of the mechanism heretofore described will be controlledthrough the energizing of the electro-magnets 40, and I will nowdescribe in detail the various electric circuits which I employ inconnection with the apparatus for the automatic sending and receiving ofmessages.

The bell circuit, or the one that is closed through the use of aninstrument on the line, comprises the line wire A to the terminal B, theconductor C to call bell D and conductor E, from call bell back toterminal F and return line-wire G.

The relay circuit includes conductors A and C, conductor H and relay Iand conductor J and conductors E and G.

The motor circuit includes relay I to switch L, (which is set to closethe circuit when the operator leaves the ofiice and it is desired tohave the instrument send and receive a message) from switch L toconductor M through battery N and conductor 0 to the electro-magnets 40and return through conductor Q to relay I.

The transmitter circuit primary is through battery N, conductor R totransmitter S and through conductor T to post on switch hook U andconductor V to switch W, through switch VV to conductor X to switch hookpost U and conductor Y to the primary coil in induction coil Z, and fromthence through conductor Z to battery N.

The secondary transmitter circuit is through conductor A, terminal B andconductor B to the secondary winding of induction coil Z, thence'toconductors Y and X, switch W, conductor W to receiver S, and from thencethrough conductor T to condenser E, terminal F and line conductor G.'

The receiver circuit includes line wire A to terminal B and conductor B,to the secondary winding of induction coil Z and conductor Y, andconductor X to switch W, from thence through conductor W, receiver S,and conductor T to condenser E, terminal F and return line wire G. Thereis also provided in connection with the induction coil Z a generator Zof ordinary construction, usually found in connection with circuits ofthis description and which needs no detailed illustration or descriptionherein, as I make no claim thereto.

In connection with the switch hook U I provide the usual receiver U bymeans of which the operator can use the instrument as a telephone in theusual way, the appa' 'circuit being closed at the switch hook U upon theremoval of the receiver from its supporting hook. If the person havingthe apparatus in his ofiice or residence wishes to be absent for a timeand there is no one to take or give a message to any one calling, hewill set the switch L and if a person closes the bell circuit fromsomewhere on the line the magnets 40 will be energized through thecircuits described and the mo-. tor released and the transmitter 20 willimmediately begin to move over the cylinder 17 and the message thereonwill be repeated to the line, such message usually stating that theperson called is out-and requesting that the person calling give amessage which may be repeated when the owner of the instrument returns.This being received by the person on the line, he will give his message,which will be recorded on the cylinder 13 'so that when the personcalled returns he may reproduce this message and understand that suchand such a person called him and at the same time obtain a completereproduction or the substance of the message to be communicated.Sometimes the person calling may communicate his complete message or maysimply cause to have recorded on the cylinder 13 the fact that such andsuch a erson called and asking that the owner 0 the instru mentcommunicate with him upon returning to the ofiice.

The checking of movement of the operating mechanism may be timed orregulated to allow a long message from one person to be recorded, or aseries of short messages from different persons calling the officeduring the absence of the person called.

I claim as my invention 1. An answering and recording telephoneincluding a telephoneJine, mechanism for automatically transmittingspeech upon the same, a recording device for registering communicationsreceived from the line, a motor for actuating said mechanism and saidre: cording device simultaneously, and mechanism actuated by themovement of the motor for stopping itafter a predetermined interval.

2. An answering and recording telephone comprising a telephone line, ananswering device for automatically transmitting a communication upon theline, an automatic recording mechanism for registering communicationsfrom the line, an operating motor for said answering device and for saidrecording mechanism, a brake device for said motor, electro-magnets, anarmature thereerate said answering device and said recording mechanismsimultaneously.

3. An answering and recording telephone comprising a telephone line, ananswering device for automatically transmitting a communication upon theline, an automatic recording mechanism for registering communicationsfrom the line, a motor for operating said answering device and saidrecording mechanism,a brakedevice for said motor, a rock shaft connectedwith said brake device and having a pinion thereon, a rack bar engagingsaid pmion, an armature mounted on said rack bar, electro-magnets havingan electric circuit with said line and adapted, when energized, toattract said armature and move said rack bar to rock said shaft andrelease said motor, means for looking said rack bar in its operatingposition, and means for releasing said bar to allow it and said rockshaft to return to their normal position at a predetermined point in themovement-of said motor.

4:. An answering and recording telephone comprising a telephone line, ananswering device for automatically transmitting a communication upon theline, an automatic recording mechanism for registering communicationsfrom the line, a motor for operating said answering device and saidrecording mechanism, a brake device for said motor, a rock shaftconnected with said brake device, electro-ma-gnets having an electriccircuit with said line, an armature for said magnets, means actuated bythe movement of said armature to rock saidshaft and release said motorbrake device, means for temporarily locking said armature and said rockshaft in the position to which they are moved by the energizing of saidmagnets, and means for releasing said armature and rock shaft to allowthem to return to their normal position at a predetermined point in mentwith said record cylinder and return a ing it to its normal posit-ion,and mechanism for checking the motor at a predetermined point in itsoperation.

6. An answering and recording telephone comprising a telephone line, ananswering device for automatically transmitting a communication upon theline, an'automatic recording mechanism for registering communicationsfrom the line, a motor for operating said answering device and saidrecording mechanism, a brake device for said m0- tor, a rock shaftconnected .with said brake device, a switch controlling the linecircuit, an arm mounted on said shaft and normally holding said switchin itsopen position, a call circuit and electro-magnets therefor, anarmature, mechanism connected with said 10 armature for operating saidshaft to release In witness whereof, I have hereunto set 15 my hand this11th day of March, 1913.

CARL J. GUSTAFSON. Witnesses:

Mrs. H. I. KING, I D. M. REHFELD.

